Food Wars LA Food Trucks Episode Airs This Week – Featurning Grill ‘Em All and Baby’s Bad Ass Burgers

Posted on 08/16/2010 by Rev

The Los Angeles Food Trucks episode of Food Wars featuring Grill ‘Em All and Baby’s Bad Ass Burgers airs this Wednesday, August 18th at 10 pm EST on the Travel Channel.

Waaaaaaaaaaayyyy back in March, I was asked to fly out to LA and participate in taping of the Travel Channel show, Food Wars. The series pits two local food favorites creating the same dish against each other in a blind taste testing. The episode in particular is the battle of the LA Food Trucks, pitting our friends in the Grill ‘Em All Truck versus Baby’s Bad Ass Burgers. The show is finally going to air, this Wednesday, August 18th at 10 pm EST. Follow this link for more information about the episode. Be sure to set those DVR’s and TiVO’s do you don’t miss it!!

Check out this actual screen shot from the taping.

It’s not the best example of my participation for the show so you’ll have to tune in and watch! Read this story for a behind the scenes look.


Eating Grill ‘Em All burgers with the host of the show, Camille Ford, during the taping of my interview.


The Grill ‘Em All “Molly Hatchet” with seared fennel smoked sausage gravy, apple wood smoked bacon, maple drizzle, picture in front of the Baby’s Bad Ass Burgers truck during the taping.

FOOD WARS
TRAVEL CHANNEL
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 18TH, 2010
10 PM EST

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Wendy’s Old Fashion Hamburgers – Parts Is Still Parts But No 411 On the Beef.

Posted on 08/13/2010 by Rev

Wendy’s Old Fashioned Hamburgers
http://wendys.com/
Store #7008
78 Brookside Avenue
Chester, NY 10918

THE CONQUEST
Named after his fourth child, Melinda Lou “Wendy” Thomas, Dave Thomas founded the first Wendy’s Old Fashioned Hamburgers restaurant in Columbus, OH. They yeas was 1969 and since then has grown to become the nation’s 3rd largest hamburger fast food chain. Dave Thomas, fashioned his burgers after the Kewpee Hamburgers he used to frequent in his home of Kalamazoo, MI. They too had square burger patties and served malts. Dave took those two ideas and created the Wendy’s Classic and the favored chocolaty, malted treat now known as the Frosty. Upon opening their second location, only a short year after the first, they unveiled what Wendy’s claims to be “the first modern-day, drive-thru window.” In 1980, once again as pioneers, Wendy’s introduced the first fast-food salad bar.

I’ve never discriminated against fast-food on this site and although I would prefer to gourmet burgers, I do have a soft spot for Wendy’s. When I was a kid we went to Wendy’s as a special alternative to their 2 major competitors. I always thought they had fresher tasting burgers and the best Chicken Nuggets in the business. While driving to the campground site for my annual birthday camping trip, we pulled off the highway for a little lunch at Wendy’s.

I can’t ever remember ordering anything from Wendy’s, other than a salad, that wasn’t on the Super Value Menu. To answer your question, no, I have never had a Baconator! With only $1.29 (then 99 cents) you have the choice of French Fries, soda, Cheeseburger, Jr. Bacon Classic, Frosty, Chicken Nuggets or Crispy Chicken Sandwich. This road trip pit stop was not going to be any different. I ordered a “value” soda, “value” Fries, a 5 piece Chicken Nuggets and last but certainly not least, 1 Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger. The latter comes topped with only cheese, bacon and lettuce.

THE BURGER
Wendy’s has always had good sauces and I love to dip the French Fries in their honey mustard sauce. The French Fries, which always seemed a little dry and flimsy to me, taste much better once dipped in the sauce. I have a strange habit at fast-food restaurants, where I eat all my French Fries at once before starting in on anything else. This is mostly because they suffer the most when they cool down but also because I’m weird like that. My Mom always fun of me as a kid, saying that I ate in pecking order; eating what was closest to me first and then moving in 1 direction around the plate / tray.

In this case, next in order would be the Chicken Nuggets. They are my favorite in the fast-food business and must be eaten with every visit to Wendy’s! 5 for only $1.29, how can you not!??!
The breading is crunchy while the all white chicken meat on the inside stays juicy. Once dipped in Wendy’s Barbecue sauce, they become a winning treat.

Regardless of “pecking order” I always save the best for last when eating fast-food and that’s the Burger. I ordered my mainstay, the Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger, the no-nonsense version of the larger Bacon Cheeseburger. Wendy’s bacon Is the crunchiest, thickest and best in the fast-food game which makes getting this burger so appealing. With childlike excitement and nostalgia, I unwrapped the Burger ready to pounce on in its bun. Upon visual inspection, the sandwich seemed much smaller than I remembered. Not only was the Burger smaller but it was also drier than I remembered. Wendy’s always seemed to have juicer burgers than their rivals but that was certainly not the case with the well done Burger. It’s been some time since I have had Wendy’s but my mental picture has this burger a lot juicier. There is one good thing about the small sized patty; the cheese to beef ratio is about 50/50. Still, I wolfed the whole thing down in 4 bites or less.

As I finished off the Burger I felt like Clara Peller asking “Where’s the Beef?”


6 out of 10 ounces
-Rev

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Trailer Park – Who Needs Cake When You Have Night Ranger

Posted on 08/12/2010 by Rev

Trailer Park Lounge
http://trailerparklounge.com/
271 W 23rd St
New York, NY 10011

THE CONQUEST
What better way to celebrate a birthday then with burgers and beers?!?!? Well, that’s exactly what my burger lovin‘ buddy Adam wanted to do for his birthday. Adam organized a celebratory meal at one of my fave burger joints, The Trailer Park in New York City. Known for their kitschy decor and tasty char-grilled burgers, it makes a great location for a burger party.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SHERIFF!!!

THE BURGER
Living in New York, outdoor space is not only a commodity, it’s a scarcity. That means ain’t a lotta folks grillin’ in the backyard. Which also means, if you want BBQ’d ANYTHING you have to go out and get it. If its a backyard bbq style burger you crave, just like your pops used to make, head over to The Trailer Park. They make the best one in the city. I would even venture to say, they have the best turkey burger in the city!!! The Trailer Park has been reviewed now 7 times on the site so I won’t force a regurgitation on you.


8 out of 10 ounces
-Rev

THE ROCK
When I’m not out burgering it up, I’m at work at Artist Arena. We are a fan based company who provides fan clubs and enhanced ticketing experiences to artists. It’s a lot of fun and when you help a fan get to meet a band they love its a special moment. It’s even better when it’s a band you love and they turn out to be some of the nicest people. After slammin‘ a burger for Adam’s birthday, I got to be a part of the Night Ranger meet and greet at their NYC show.

I have to admit being a fan-boy here. I remember driving around Detroit in my car and jamming Night Ranger tunes whenever they came on the radio. I’ve been a huge fan for a long, long time and it is not only a pleasure but also an honor to be working with them and helping fans to meet the band. Rockstardom, which they have certainly earned, has not gone to their heads at all. They were some of the friendliest, nicest and eager band members I have ever met. I barely managed to hold it together but saved myself from having a Chris Farley moment. The band put on a tremendous show full of high energy, amazing technical abilities and great song work. I had a freaking great time and can’t wait to see them again.


When I close my eyes, I dream about Night Ranger.

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The Great Food Truck Race Premier This Weekend

Posted on 08/11/2010 by Rev

The Great Food Truck Race To Premier on August 15th at 10 pm EST on the Food Network

Get your DVR’s / TiVO’s ready!!! The Food Network’s newest show, The Great Food Truck Race, starring Tyler Florence and featuring LA based heavy metal themed, gourmet burger Grill ‘Em All Truck, debuts this Sunday night, August 15th at 10 pm EST.

Check out this sneak peak from the show.

Some of you readers participated in a taping of the show back in May so be sure to tune in and watch the show!

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Comerica Park Detroit Tigers – Bless You Kuntz

Posted on 08/07/2010 by Rev

Comerica Park
http://detroit.tigers.mlb.com/
2100 Woodward Avenue
Detroit, MI 48201-3470

THE CONQUEST
Take me out to the ball game, Take me out with the crowd. Buy me some beers and pizza and nachos and Italian beef sandwiches. I don’t care which stadium I’m at, Let me eat, eat, eat for the whole game, food is my claim to fame. For it’s one, two, three bites, I ate, At the old ball game. There is nothing that gets hungry like a good ole baseball game so when my travel for work brings me near an MLB park, it’s an added bonus.

Two of my clients, Big Jay Oakerson and Shadows Fall were both out on the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival. As I looked at the routing to figure out which of the shows I would hit up on the tour, I cross referenced the dates with the cities baseball team. When I found out that the show in Detroit, MI, my hometown, happened the day before a Tiger’s home game, I immediately booked a flight. I planned a perfect weekend all centered around eating.

Friday – the big Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival show at DTE.
Saturday – Lunchtime Burger Conquest at the Redcoat Tavern followed by some sight seeing around downtown. Then pre-gaming at the Atwater Block Brewery before watching the Detroit Tigers vs the Los Angeles Angels.
Sunday – Backyard BBQ with friends.

Say what you will about the city of Detroit, I DARE YOU. It’s a socially significant, character building city, rich with history and a unique story to tell. I know most people will call it a “shit hole” or a “dump” and I tell them the reason we don’t promote the city as a tourism destination is because we don’t want them, or the Canadians, to ruin our fun. I realized, not unlike the band Superchunk, “Detroit Has a Sky Line,” and a beautiful one at that. The focal point is the now home to General Motors, the Renaissance Center.

The “Rencen,” as it’s known by locals, sits at the end of Woodward, the biggest and most important North / South bound street in the state of Michigan. As it sits on the banks of the Detroit River it looks as though the entire city was built out from it and in some regard that is how the city evolved. Within only a few blocks you will find all the city has to offer with professional baseball, hockey and football teams to bars, clubs, restaurants, river cruises, breweries, casinos and the infamous Greek Town. It’s a great place to start out a tour of the city and for nostalgic reasons, that is where our afternoon began.

THE BEER
Just East of the Rencen is an area of Detroit known as Chene Park / The Rivertown-Warehouse District. A lot of the buildings here are run down and deserted warehouse, save one. At the corner of Wight St and Joseph Campau St, you will find one of Detroit’s little gems; The Atwater Block Brewery. All of Atwater’s brews are made in the traditional German way with equipment that was from Germany. Their slogan is thankfully just as great as their beer – “We drink all we can and sell the rest.”

If you’re in the area, it’s worth a stop in. Not only is the beer fantastic but Mark Reith, the owner and all his staff are incredibly friendly and rich with beer knowledge. They closed their tap room, opting instead to allow the beer curious to actually sit amongst the brewing equipment. It’s hidden down on a street, off an alley in a part of town that isn’t heavily populated. As my friends Adam, Michele, Logg and Lyntz pointed out, it kind of feels like you’re in a gigantic speakeasy with bootleg beer that just came across the nearby Ambassador Bridge from Canada. Feel free to taste all their delicious beers but be sure to put your lips into their Dunkel as well as the Vanilla Java Porter (click to read reviews on the website for my New York bar Idle Hands). We slugged back a few ourselves while we watched the TV show “Detroit 1-8-7” being filmed out side the brewery. It’s a perfect activity before hitting a game at Comerica Park.

THE STADIUM
I love me some Detroit Tigers. They aren’t the greatest team and nor do they have the greatest history but they always fight on. It’s been a long time since the Gibby lead them to victory in 1984 and the team still plays on. Built in 2000, Comerica Replaced the fan favorite Tigers Stadium. With much hesitation, Tiger fans, following the magic voice of Ernie Harwell, moved from Cork Town to the new stadium’s location in Greek Town. History aside, it’s a pretty fantastic park.

Upon entering the park, which is literally smack dab in the middle of downtown, you’re greeted by a massive, 15 foot, stone tiger statue. They’re such a spectacle in fact, that you can bet there will be a line to get a photo with them. In fact, there are 8 other stone tigers throughout the stadium, can you find them all? You’re immediately lead into the park with a kiddie section, complete with carousel to your left and a somewhat hall of heroes in front of you. Stretching a decent length of the main floor, just behind the seats there is a decade by decade mini-museum “Walk of Fame” showcasing the teams nearly 200 year old baseball history. There’s also a gigantic fountain, ferris wheel, beer hall and many sculptures. It’s an amazing park and well worth at trip to see a game or to just pig out in the stands.

The stadium has two levels, the main one of which, is sunk into the ground so fans walk into the stadium at the top of the lower deck. All the main food and drink options can be found on the lower level with limited choices on the higher deck. At the far end of the field is a terrace known as “Pepsi Porch” where you’ll find food, merchandise, bleacher seats and of course, the dining area with spectacular views of the game known as “Kaline’s Corner.” I was pretty excited to spend the evening taking in a game, eating all I could and pounding beers with 15 of my friends and family members.

Comerica Park offers all the baseball standards mentioned in “Take Me Out To the Ballgame,” (the original version, not my remix above) as well as a few surprises, included Italian Beef Sandwiches. They have a wide selection of beers including the regular American pilsners, $5 cans of Pabst Blue Ribbon (can I get a “hell yeah!?”) and if you search it out, there is one Atwater Beer stand.

THE DIGESTIONS
If it’s your first trip to the stadium head right over to any of the Little Caeser’s concession stands. Never heard of it? It’s a Detroit staple and yet the 3rd largest pizza chain in the world. Owner Mike Illitch started the company in 1959 with one store front in Garden City. Its now he largest carry-out pizza chain in the world. The pizza has been so successful that Mike has grown his business to include owning the Detroit Red Wings hockey franchise as well as the Detroit Tigers baseball team. That’s a lot of “Pizza! Pizza!” Be sure to try a little “Pan! Pan!” and get a Ccorner Cruncher pizza. It’s a crunchy little square pizza covered with your choice of toppings included their tangy sauce served on dough that is made fresh daily. It goes well with a few beers and a the starting line up.

Little Caesar’s Pizza – 8 out of 10
Italian Beef Sandwich with Jardiniere – 6 out of 10
Stadium Nachos COVERED in Jalapeno’s – 7 out of 10

After games on Friday’s and Saturday’s at Comerica Park, there is a huge firework display. It’s shot off from center field and a fun and exciting way to end your experience. God Bless America. God Bless Baseball. “Bless You Boys.”

THE JOKE
And now, my favorite joke of all time and #1 baseball reference!

Q: What do old ladies and the old Tigers have in common?
A: Rusty Kuntz!

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Redcoat Tavern – Feeding My Detroit Army

Posted on 08/07/2010 by Rev

Redcoat Tavern
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Royal-Oak-MI/Redcoat-Tavern/48333617908
31542 Woodward Ave
Royal Oak, MI, 48073

THE CONQUEST
I do a lot of traveling for work and while I absolutely love my job, the best part of travel is getting to try new burgers while hanging out with friends and family. I won’t lie, given the choice between 2 business destinations, I’ll chose based solely on a desire to eat somewhere. Such was the case on a recent trip to my hometown, Detroit. The Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival was making a stop at the DTE Center with 2 clients of my clients on the tour, Shadows Fall and Big Jay Oakerson, it sounded like a great excuse to go try out the Red Coat Tavern.

Located just North of downtown Detroit, in Royal Oak, MI, the Redcoat Tavern is known for serving up a burger that is extremely favored by locals. Located on the most major North / South bound road in Michigan, Woodward Ave, (if you watch the HBO series “Hung” its the street Thomas Jane is walking along in the intro) you can’t miss this large red brick building with it’s huge red awning hanging over the parking lot. Call ahead, up to one hour before you arrive, to get on the list. The restaurant is busy, busy, busy at all hours of the day and with the popularity of their signature burger, you’re bound to end up waiting for a table.

The decor is simple; a dimly lit, red brick room with large wooden tables and booths, red leather booths, a fire place, a bar and right when you walk in the front door, a mannequin dressed as a Red Coat soldier. The Redcoat offers 2 kinds of burgers, their regular beef blend or the leaner and more healthier Piedmontese burger. While the burger is the reason for the seasoning, they also offer up other rare pub fare like Scotch Eggs, Cuban Sandwiches, Seafood Chowder and some of the best onion rings North of equator. If you’re a micro beer fan, you’re in luck, nearly the entire backside of their 1 page menu is a list of great beers. So with several of my friends and family members in tow, we descended upon the Redcoat for a proper Burger Conquest.

THE BURGER
The Redcoat menu offers a variety of burger toppings for you to create your own selection with but strongly recommends their signature burger with the option to add the sweet “zip sauce.” While it took me only a minute or two to select my burger, choosing a Beer was a much longer feat. While my Mom, Step-Father, brother, and Adam, Michele, Logg, Lynce and Chris gave their orders to the waitress, I perused the beer list until I landed on a Jolly Pumpkin Oro de Calabaza, a golden ale aged in oak barrels.

Without much wait, the burgers arrived on the table and everyone’s eyes started to light up. While my step-father, on his first ever Burger Conquest, laughed at my pre-dining photo taking, everyone else dug into their Burgers. Served on a larger Sesame Seed Bun, the Redcoat Tavern is a really good classic American Burger. Made with quality ground Beef that is coarsely packed and topped with Cheddar, Lettuce and Special Sauce (essentially Mayo), hold the Tomato, this Burger is worth the hype. I wish I would’ve ordered the Mayo on the side as they put on way too much, which distracted your taste buds from tasting the delicious Beef. If you like Mayo, I would suggest getting in on the side and adding it, sparingly, yourself. I was impressed that even with a such a larger order that the Redcoat served my Burger a perfect medium rare. Big points for the accomplishment.

Skip the Fries, they aren’t anything special but do not miss out on the Onion rings. They are some of the crunchiest, greasiest and most tasty Onion Rings I have ever had. Had this Burger been the subject of Paul Revere’s advertising methods, the colonial settlers would’ve have had a totally different reaction!


8 out of 10 ounces
-Rev


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The Meatball Shop – A Repetive Lesson In Getting In Right

Posted on 07/31/2010 by Rev

The Meatball Shop
http://www.themeatballshop.com/
84 Stanton St
New York, NY 10002

THE CONQUEST
It’s important to remember all of life’s lessons, especially the simple ones. Information like the following are used in our everyday life; “Don’t bite off more than you can chew,” “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade,” and the one I am still waiting to use, “Don’t take any wooden nickels.” And then there is “Keep It Simple Stupid” or “KISS” which is the grand principle behind New York City’s latest restaurant sensation, The Meatball Shop.

Started by Daniel Holzman and Michael Chernow, this Lower East Side sensation has quickly become one of my favorite places to eat in the city. Guess what they serve? Meatballs. What else? Hand made ice cream sandwiches. You know what else? NOTHING!! That’s right, just meatballs. With a deep history in the restaurant and bar business, Daniel and Michael, decided to start the restaurant with one premise in mind, serve only meatballs but make them the best meatballs ever. The 2 of them went on a quest around NYC eating every renowned meatball in the city. Michael’s pretty fond of telling the story and you may even get him to reveal some of the locations that influenced their meaty balls.

The menu is simple at the Meatball Shop. At any given time there are 5 meatballs available; classic beef, spicy pork, chicken, vegetable or the daily special. Likewise, there are always 5 sauces available; classic tomato, spicy meat sauce, mushroom gravy, parmesan cream and the daily special. You can order your meatballs in a bowl, under pasta or beans, in a hero, as a slider or in a smash. Just grab a dry erase pen and mark off on the menu what you want. The waitress will be around shortly to take your menus and place your order. While you’re waiting, and sometimes the wait can be up to 2 hours, enjoy a glass of wine or beer from the small but great list available. Don’t feel like waiting? You can order the meatballs to go, just step to the counter in the back. Pick up orders can be made faster along with home / office deliveries via Seemlessweb.com.

I’ve been to The Meatball Shop nearly a dozen times since their opening only a short 6 months ago. Their open from Noon until 4 AM, so whether its lunch, dinner or late night snack, their balls fit the bill. The Meatball Shop is great anytime but I find them most appealing later in the evening after you’ve had a few beers / wines / cocktails. They easily fulfill any late night munchies you can get. If you’re my friend on facebook you’ve seen many, many posts and pictures with their delicious meatballs. When our friends Karl, Julie and Tom came into NYC from LA for a visit, it was the first place they asked to be taken. “You’ve built it up enough and now it’s all I can think about” Tom told me as we made the plan.

THE BURGER
After a few beers at Idle Hands Bar, the bar some friends and I are about to open in the East Village, we made the short 7 minute walk to the Meatball shop with our tongues practically hanging out of our mouths. Going later at night is not only more fun but it’s also easier as the dinner crowd dies down and getting a seat is much easier. While I might argue, these balls are so good that no bread is needed, I remind myself that this is a burger site and I order a classic beef – classic tomato combo in a smash, which is essentially a burger; meat, cheese and brioche.

God only knows how long they cook the sauce and meatballs but the flavor is like none other. The warm, hearty sauce with all of it’s Italian spices would satiate even the proudest of Italian families. It’s not too spicy, it’s not too bland, it’s not too garlicky (that might be an impossible feat) and it doesn’t take just like tomatoes. It’s just right! The meatballs are large, soft and melt in your mouth. Go slow!! Don’t miss a single second of their amazing flavor. Using the word “classic” to describe these meatballs is not only the perfect word, it’s also an understatement. Wedged between a fresh, toasted, slightly sweet and crunchy brioche with your choice of fresh mozzarella or provolone, you won’t find anything this good outside of your grandmother’s kitchen.

While I truly loved the smash and would highly recommend it to anyone curious, I have to say, with the Meatball Shop, no bun is needed. 9 times out of 10, I order the bowls in a ball with sauce. You’ll get a little piece of focaccia to dip up the left over sauce but these meatballs need nothing on top of, around or underneath. Do yourself a favor and order the spicy pork meatballs in the spicy meat sauce, it’s the most winning combo on the menu. Don’t let the name fool the weak of taste, they aren’t hot per se, just a little kicked up. It’s my standard and if I ever get to Norm from Cheers status (fingers crossed) at The Meatball Shop, they’ll just order me a bowl when I walk in through the door.

After dining at the Meatball Shop several times, I got the idea to start an off shoot of Burger Conquest. I thought it would be fun to have Meatball Conquest. Meatballs aren’t really that far off from burgers and I can see the passion for both being pretty high. It sounded like a great idea, or at least a tasty one, so I set off around NYC trying every which meatball I could find. Results were the same across the board – there are a lot of good meatballs in this town but I found that a website dedicated to cataloging and reviewing them would be pointless. Why? Every single review would end the same way, “these are good but not nearly as good as The Meatball Shop.”

If Michael and Daniel are smart, they’ll open a meatball rehab center around the corner! Good luck, they’re freakin’ addictive!


9 out of 10 ounces
-Rev


BUT WAIT!! THERE’S MORE…

My love for The Meatball Shop has grown so intense that now when I go there to eat, I order some extra meatballs to be eaten as leftovers the next day. With just a couple minutes in the microwave, they heat up almost as good as they were served fresh. I’ve even started bringing them home to add into my home cooked meals!!

THE MEATBALL SHOP HANGOVER CURING OMELET

Ingredients
4 Spicy pork in spicy meat sauce meatballs from The Meatball Shop
2 Sweet Italian sausages (Use Esposito and Sons if possible)
1 Cup sliced baby portabello mushrooms.
4 Eggs (I use organic brown)
1 Cup shredded Mexican Cheese
1 TBSP of milk
No need for spices, there’s more than enough in the meatballs, sauce and sausage.

Now I made these on the grill, because I am obsessed like that but you can do them on the stove top.

Directions
1. Fully cook Italian Sausages in skillet or on grill. Cut into bite size pieces and set aside.
2. Turn heat down on burner or grill and allow to cool down.
3. Spray some non-stick spray into your skillet and pre-heat on oven or grill at a low heat.
4. Carefully crack eggs into a large bowl.
5. Add in milk and beat until evenly distributed and yellow.
6. Pour mixture into skillet and allow to heat up for 2 minutes.
7. Mash meatballs in their sauce and then add into skillet along with other ingredients.
8. Stir every other minute. Eventually eggs will scramble and turn the mixture into something resembling a sloppy joe.
9. Cook until eggs are 90% formed. Remove mixture and allow 2 minutes to cool.
10. Scoop into potato hot dog rolls and enjoy.
11. Say goodbye to your hangover.
12. Start drinking again.
13. Go back the Meatball Shop and repeat entire process.

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Mosh Potatoes – Cook Out With Your Book Out

Posted on 07/30/2010 by Rev

Mosh Potatoes
http://www.moshpotatoescookbook.com/

If you’ve been reading the site, you’re aware of my allegiance to Buckshot, the man behind Mosh Potatoes, the Heavy Metal Cookbook. “Mosh Potatoes” – Recipes, Anecdotes & Mayhem From The Heavyweights of Heavy Metal. 150 recipes from bands like Pantera, Megadeth, Testament, Overkill, Anthrax to Lamb of God, Devildriver, Shadows Fall, Hatebreed to Twisted Sister, Guns & Roses, Motorhead, Zakk Wylde, Dokken, Dream Theater to the new school of metal like Municipal Waste, Skeletonwitch, Upon A Burning Body and Moth Eater. These recipes will kick your ass. “Cook Out With Your Book Out” – In Stores on November 30th.

With Buckshot’s help I’ve been able to give the world The Bourbon Soaked Bacon Beast, the AC/DC themed Whole Lotta Rosemary Back In Black Angus Burger and most recently The Mayhem Burger, the Official Burger of the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival. Buckshot is a real inspiration and a hero of sorts. He has been working on this book for more than 3 years and came close several times to canning the entire idea. Through believe, perseverance and a passion for music that is only matched by a passion for food, the cook book is becoming a reality.

Buckshot hit me up this week and asked if we could meet up for a beer. Not one to turn down a good bro hang and some brewski’s, I of course said yes. That’s when Buckshot told me had an advance uncorrected proof version of the book for me. I was so excited to finally see a copy. We were originally gonna get together at a local watering hole but with the amazing weather, I just didn’t want to sit in a dingy bar, I needed to be outside. This occasion deserved better. With the sunny weather and excitement for the book, I knew what had to be done to celebrate in fashion.

Long story short, I decided to buy my first grill in 6 years. Living in NYC makes it tough to have one but our new place has a balcony and it was screaming for a BBQ. After several calls into stores in Manhattan, I quickly found out that the Char-Broil infrared Patio Bistro Grill I wanted was no where to be found on the island. I was not going to let that stop the party. I finally located one of the grills at a Lowes in North Bergen, NJ and rented a car on the spot just to drive out and get it!

A brief road trip in and out of the Lincoln Tunnel and we had grill!! I invited over a couple of other friends, grabbed some beers and made a stop into my favorite neighborhood butcher shop, Esposito and Sons. These guys make the absolute best hand made sausages and are located right in Hell’s Kitchen NYC. I grabbed some hot and sweet Italian sausages as well as sage sausage and chicken apple sausage. We were ready to grill out with our book out!!

Turns out Steve had a meeting scheduled with his agent and I demanded they do it on our balcony. Our friends Maggie, Bram, Tom and my wife Cara joined us out on the “lanai” and we got to some grilling. The Char-Broil Patio Bistro Grill is great for a small space and a building that doesn’t allow propane or charcoal cooking, in other words, damn near every apartment in NYC. This little baby plugs into an electrical socket and can quickly heat up to 650 degrees on a evenly distributed heat surface. It’s IDEAL for grilling in the city.

While the sausages were cookin’ up, I got a chance to flip through the cook book. I won’t reveal any of the recipes but I had to give Buckshot a massive hug and a high five. He’s got some of the best metal musicians in the world with some of the best recipes I have ever read. I am ridiculously proud of him and can not wait for this awesome cook book to be unleashed on the world. The world’s kitchens are about to get heavy!

Be sure to follow Mosh Potatoes on Twitter and like it on Facebook so you’ll get updates on it’s release.

Mosh Potatoes – 9 out of 10


Esposito and Sons Sweet Italaian Sausage – 9 out of 10
-Rev


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Sausage Party *with big cans – Feeding The Mayhem

Posted on 07/28/2010 by Rev

PNC Bank Arts Center
http://www.rockstarmayhemfest.com
Exit 116 Garden State Parkway
Holmdel, NJ 07733

THE CONQUEST
I’m hanging out at the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival at it’s stop in Hartford, CT and I get asked “Rev, when are you gonna grill for us?” See, the people behind the Vans Warped Tour are also involved in the Mayhem Festival so they know all about “Kev and Rev’s Awesome Parking Lot BBQ” and clearly, they wanted their own. There’s been a lot of buzz around my involvement on the tour due to the fact that I manage both Shadows Fall and Big Jay Oakerson who are performing on the fest and I also designed The Mayhem Burger.

It’s generated a lot of chatter and folks on the tour want them some RevBQ. Who can blame them? Not I and in fact, all I want to do is make them happy, so I said yes. Every couple of nights on the Mayhem Festival they have one of the bands host the “metal mixer” which is a fancy way of saying “after show bbq.” I recruited Big Jay to be the DJ to my grill master and we decided to call our little shindig “Big Jay and The Rev’s Sausage Party *with big cans.” The plan was to grill up sausages, burgers and drink beer in cans while Jay busted out with the metal jams.

I always say “if it’s worth doing, it’s worth overdoing,” and this BBQ was not going to be the exception. First thing first, I designed a show flier from that created 3-D laminates with some help from our friends at i6tix.

Check out the cool effects:

Next we need beer, cans of beer to be specific. Thankfully, the wonderful road crew for Rockstar Energy Drink agree to help supply beer some beer, energy drinks and even the DJ system! Now all we needed was some sausages. I knew exactly who to call; Esposito and Son’s from Hell’s Kitchen, NYC. Their hand made sausages were a huge hit at “Kev and Rev’s Awesome Parking Lot BBQ” and I thought the metal crew at Mayhem deserved only the best. I stopped by the sausage factory and picked up a box of hot and a box of sweet Italian sausages. The last item on my grilling list; a box of Kansas City Steak Company burgers sent to me for my birthday by none other than my Mom!

With that all in town, we headed off to the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, NJ for a day full of metal and meat. Big Jay kicked it off with a couple of jokes before introducing In This Moment.

Then we headed over to the Jagermusic stage to watch Shadows Fall shred the place to absolute pieces.

While it might sound like this was just a little back stage gathering for a few people, that was certainly not the case. The Mayhem production team printed fliers and put them up all over the stages on each bus on the tour. The excitement for sausage was growing and growing.

My last tour duty of the day was to escort Big Jay onto the main stage for his final set. Once Jay gets done, he heads out into the crowd to meet fans and sell CDs. It’s pretty amazing to think only a few short months ago, the biggest show I had ever see Jay do was to a couple hundred people. It’s spectacular and I am glad people find him as funny as I do.

During Rob Zombie and Korn’s sets it was time to set up the party. We decided to have it at the VIP press tent just to the side of the main stage. Jeff and Kelsey from Mayhem catering helped me stage the food, prep the grill and get the big cans chilling on ice. Nothing says party like a larger can filled with a bunch of smaller cans (unless you’re M. Emmet Welsh and you hate typical bastards.)

Jay got the party started with some Pantera because nothing puts you in the mood for sausages and beers like the Cowboys From Hell.

With about 200 VIPs waiting in the tent for food, it was time to get grilling!! First a round of sausage followed by burgers. I had wanted to make the actual Mayhem Burger but with the need for speed, I really couldn’t do much more than just churn out hot meat.

After an hour on the grill, the grub line was just not dying down. Jay cranked up the jams and I kept the goals a burning.

Once the line started to ease up, I was able to bust out the Esposito and Sons sausages. I wanted to be sure to take my time and grill ’em up the right way. Of course that back fired because once the smell of fresh hand made sausages hit people’s noses, they ran over to get some.

Unfortunately the party had to be cut short due to an early bus call and the tour had to leave the PNC to get to the next show. Big Jay and Keri Lee grabbed up the last of the sausages and took them on their respective buses to eat on the road. As I was saying good bye to Jay, he looked at me and said “hey son, them sausages are mine!” I grabbed two and jumped into our car to head home.

The Hot Italian Sausage served in a tasty potato roll. These tasty numbers are spicy but with great flavor and spicing. Somehow Esposito and Sons know how to make a sausage that holds its juices inside. When cooked properly, the encased meat mixture gets warm and stays juicy.

The
Sweet Italian Sausage wrapped in half of a hamburger potato roll because we ran out of hot dog buns. Too call these sweet is a slight misnomer as they are “Sweet” like as in “awesome” not as in “sugary.” The spices are just right giving a the quality pork flavor accents, without overpowering the meat itself.

Thanks to all the tour crew, production, caterers and bands on The Mayhem Tour. This summer has been amazing due to your hard work and great attitudes. Muchas Gracias the madman known as Nick Allen from Rockstar, you are the true host of this party! Thanks also to Esposito and Sons, you truly have the best sausages I have ever eaten. Thanks to Lil’ DJ Big Jay Ice Z Dog for co-hosting what was easily the most mack daddiest, slammin’, jammin’, night poppin’, booty shakin’, back yard grillin’ summa party! And thank you to all everyone who was willing to wear our ridiculous laminates around all day and stop by to taste my grill skill!

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Black Shack – Conceiving The Mosh

Posted on 07/27/2010 by Rev

Black Shack Burger
http://www.blackshackburger.com/
320 Lexington Ave
New York, NY 10016

THE CONQUEST
Much like I was once a twinkle in my Dad’s eye, Burger Conquest was once only an idea. In honor of my late Father, every year I celebrate my his birthday by doing something he would’ve done; hanging out with friends and have a BBQ, burgers and / or beer. It was on July 20th of 2008 while having just such a dinner at PJ Clarke’s, that’s the idea for Burger Conquest popped into my head. I like to refer to it as the day the site was conceived. Think of it as my version of the moment in time when Doctor Emmet Brown fell off the toilet, hit his head and thought up the flux capacitor. I said “why don’t we start a blog about hanging out and eating burgers?” Everyone laughed at me and went back to eating and having a good time. 3 months later, Burger Conquest was born.

To celebrate this year, I gathered up Team Burger for a trip to New York City’s Black Shack. Having recently created The Mayhem Burger, The Official Burger of the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival, along with Buck Shot from Mosh Potatoes and the Jeff and Ed, owners of the Black Shack, I wanted to return with my friends for a proper Conquesting of Burgers. The concept at the Black Shack is relatively simple; a gourmet burger at a fast food price. By offering a smaller and focused menu, they keep prices down by only relying on a few key ingredients to make their delicious food. Built over an old bowling alley (one of the old lanes serves as the entrance ramp to the restaurant), the very clean restaurant is always a buzz with rock and roll on the stereo.

THE BURGER
The choices are simple here; burgers, chicken, mozzarella (hand made in the store), tofu, salads and fries. There are 3 burgers on the menu, Classic, Cheese or Western but there is one more you can have if you ask for it by name…you guessed it; The Mayhem Burger.

1 toasted and butter sesame seed bun
3 gourmet 4 oz burger patties – 1 patty for each stage on the tour
1 piece of Fresh “Mosh”arella cheese (Mozzarella)
Coarse Pit Grinding Black Pepper
Crispy Onions – remind you to put on sunscreen so you don’t get burnt in the sun
Crumbled Crispy Bacon – because bacon is awesome just like the festival
AND DON’T FORGET THE BEER!

Believe me, it’s as big and as massive as it sounds, just like the touring heavy metal festival itself. So if you don’t think you can handle the pressure in the mosh pit, order “The Main Stage Mayhem Burger.” It’s all the same bottomings (condiments go under the patty) as the original Mayhem but with only 1 patty. As the lot of us piled into the restaurant and placed are order, Mayhem Burgers started showing up on everyone’s trays.

The Black Shack does it right. All the ingredients, toppings and contents of the burger are fresh, high quality and made with care. The patty is formed from freshly ground beef, the origins of which Jeff will NOT reveal, and it is juicy and filled with all the savory flavor one expects from a delicious burger. The burgers are cooked on a 600 degree grill and come up very quickly. I once asked Jeff, “how long does it cook before you give it the 1 flip?” He answered “long enough to shotgun a can of beer.”

The mozzarella or “mosh”arella as I like to call it is handmade, fresh, mere moments before it’s put on your sandwich. To prove it, I watched Jeff pull out a tiny zip lock back filled with oil, salt and cheese and hand form into a slab of fresh cheese. It’s quite a site, let me tell you. Once this behemoth sized piece of cheese hits the sandwich is forms a thick pillowy cushion that serves as a resting area for the rest of the sandwich. The onions and bacon are crispy, never flimsy or mushy and add a delicious crunch to the sandwich. Be sure to ask for a tasting cup of chef Jeff’s home made BBQ sauce. It’s really smoky and peppery but with a sweet kick to make sure it tickles your EVERY taste bud.

You don’t have to love heavy metal to love this burger but if you do, strap on your Manowar Cod Piece, apply your corpse paint, slip on that sleeves jean jacket with the Iron Maiden back piece pinned on and go to the Black Shack. Ask for the Mayhem Burger and tell ’em Rev from Burger Conquest sent ya. After eating anything on this menu, you will denounce ever eating fast food again if you’re in the area. Death to false burgers!!!

Check out what everyone else had to say:

The Main Stage Mayhem Burger

The Whole Show

8 out of 10 ounces
-Rev




What up pops. Miss you every day.

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